Summary

• Emilio Estevez, part of the Brat Pack, starred in iconic 1980s films like The Breakfast Club and The Mighty Ducks.
• Estevez's decision to keep his family name over adopting Sheen was influenced by his father's stage name regret.
• Both Emilio and Charlie Sheen found success in Hollywood; however, Emilio believed in earning his own name, not adopting Sheen.

Emilio Estevez is best recognized as a member of the Brat Pack, young actors in the 1980s who appeared in iconic coming-of-age films of the era. The group included Estevez, Molly Ringwald, and Anthony Michael Hall, among others. Estevez's most notorious role as a member was in the 1985 cult classic The Breakfast Club, as Andrew Clark, the jock in the wrestling program, alongside other Brat Pack members, including Judd Nelson as teenage rebel John Bender.

In addition to The Breakfast Club, Estevez also starred in St. Elmo's Fire and The Outsiders and had the lead role in the 1992 sports comedy The Mighty Ducks. However, Estevez wasn't the only member of his family to make it big in the film industry. Both his parents and all three siblings are Hollywood actors. However, some may not know of Estevez's celebrity family due to their contrasting last names.

Updated on April 14th, 2024 by David Giatras: Emilio Estevez was one of the most prolific actors of the 1980s and a member of the Brat Pack. He has led a steady career that has lasted over 40 years but many would be surprised to know that he is related to the Sheens. In fact, Emilio has the family's original name. Despite Emilio being a spitting image of his father, Martin Sheen, many have been unable to put two and two together over the years. The story of how Emilio decided against taking the name of Sheen begins with his father Martin's name change which he ultimately regretted later in life.

Why Emilio Estevez's Dad Chose The Name Martin Sheen

Estevez was born on May 12th, 1962 in Staten Island, New York, to Janet and Martin Sheen. However, those weren't his parents' legal names. Martin was born as Ramón Estevez to an Irish immigrant mother and a Spanish immigrant father. The Apocalypse Now actor adopted the stage name "Martin Sheen" in 1958 to avoid being type-cast in films. Despite the pseudonym, Martin Sheen never changed his legal name, using it for everything else in his life outside his career.

He talked about his decision on Inside the Actors Studio, Season 9, Episode 16. In the same episode, Martin also shared that one of his biggest regrets was "not keeping his name as it was given to him," which he admitted annoyed his father. The inspiration behind his stage name was also revealed on Inside the Actors Studio. The first name Martin was an agent/friend, and the last name Sheen was to honor Catholic Bishop Fulton J. Sheen.

That’s one of my regrets. Sometimes you get persuaded when you don’t have enough insight or even enough courage to stand up for what you believe in, and you pay for it later.

Another reason Martin Sheen took on his stage name, as revealed by Emilio on the Today Show in 2023, was that there was a lot of prejudice towards Hispanics around 1958. It is something that Martin has regretted when looking back on it, specifically when his father came to see him on Broadway when Martin did The Subject was Roses. Emilio recalled Martin telling him that his grandfather, Francisco, was standing outside the theater looking at the marquee sign with disappointment, as it said "Martin Sheen" instead of Ramón Estevez.

Despite not being present for it, this event had a profound impact on Emilio and led him to keep his birth name when he went into film years later. Early on in Emilio's career, his agent advised him to adopt a stage name and forgo Estevez. However, Martin told his son not to make the same mistake he did and to keep his given name, something that Emilio decided to do. As Emilio decided to keep his given name, his famous brother instead opted to take their father's stage name and found his own success.

Emilio Estevez's Brother Took Their Father's Stage Name

In contrast, Estevez's brother, Carlos, decided to follow in their father's footsteps and adopt the stage name Charlie Sheen. Like Estevez, Charlie also amassed many acting credits in the 1980s, including Platoon and Red Dawn, and even a minor part in John Hughes' Ferris Bueller's Day Off, which eventually led to the spread of a dark conspiracy theory.

Charlie Sheen became one of Hollywood's biggest stars in the 1980s, which continued into the 1990s with starring roles in Major League II, Hot Shots!, Money Talks, and Being John Malkovich. Charlie also became a sitcom star in 2004 with the megahit, Two and a Half Men. Both Martin and Emilio guest starred on the show alongside Charlie, although in different episodes. Sheen famously was fired from the show due to his erratic behavior and comments about series creator Chuck Lorre, which became major news at the time. After his dismissal from the show, Sheen worked in a movie where he used his given name.

Interestingly, the former Two and a Half Men star decided to drop his stage name for Robert Rodriguez's 2013 film Machete Kills. Somewhat humorously, Sheen is given an "introducing" credit despite being a well-known actor. He is officially credited as Carlos Estevez. As of writing, it is the only time Charlie Sheen has been credited under his birth name. Unlike his brother, Emilio opted against using the name Sheen for his acting career.

In a 2020 interview with The Guardian, Estevez said his father "earned his name," and he hadn't. The actor's IMDb biography states that Estevez also thought the set of double "E" was "pretty." Despite the refusal to adopt his father's stage name, Estevez was still successful in the film industry. His other siblings, Ramon and Renée, followed suit and didn't adopt the last name Sheen, either. In the end, Emilio proved that he could find his own success as an actor, writer, director, and producer without the name Sheen.

Why It Was Best That Emilio Estevez Did Not Take The Stage Name Sheen

Despite all the name-changing, or unchanging in Emilio's situation, it is safe to say that it worked out for everyone in the end. All 3 of the Estevez family members have had long careers in Hollywood and have been part of some of the biggest films and television shows of the last 40 years. It also proved to Emilio that he did not need his father's stage name to make a name for himself, opting to use his family's given name and rely on his talent as an actor. Estevez's many credits include The Breakfast Club, Young Guns and its sequel, Men at Work, Maximum Overdrive, The Mighty Ducks, and Stakeout. He also wrote, directed, and produced the 2010 film The Way, in which he starred with his father, Martin Sheen. The drama received a theatrical re-release in 2023. This film also allowed Martin to rectify something he regretted from his past.

The Way stars Martin Sheen as a father who heads to France to retrieve the body of his son, played by Emilio Estevez after he dies while traveling the pilgrimage route of the Camino de Santiago. In homage to his son, he decides to make the journey himself as a way of grieving the loss of his son. The touching father-son story is the highlight of the film, no doubt bolstered by the pairing of real-life father and son, Martin and Emilio. The film was the seventh time that the duo had worked together in their careers. Martin Sheen is credited as an executive producer on the film and in this capacity, he is credited by his birth name, Ramón Gerard Estevez. It is of no surprise that Sheen chose to be credited this way, as Emilio stated that the film was meant to honor his family's Galician heritage and Sheen felt a strong personal connection to the film.